GeekSugar

List Calls Out Cells That Emit Most and Least Radiation

GeekSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:25:06 -0700

We've heard talking on a cell phone before bed can result in health complications. We've heard that germs on cell phones can cause rashes. And about half of GeekSugar readers worry about their phone causing cancer or other health issues. We use our phones daily - sometimes for hours on end - but how bad is the radiation really?

The Environmental Working Group has crafted a list ranking more than 1,000 cell phones according to the radiation levels they emit. The list is based on technical data provided by the manufacturers.To see the top 10 best and worst rated phones (and more importantly, check where your cell stands), read more.

Lowest Radiation Phones	Highest Radiation Phones
1. Samsung Impression (SGH-a877) [AT&T]	1. Motorola MOTO VU204 [Verizon Wireless]
2. Motorola RAZR V8 [CellularONE]	2. T-Mobile myTouch 3G [T-Mobile]
3. Samsung SGH-t229 [T-Mobile]	3. Kyocera Jax S1300 [Virgin Mobile]
4. Samsung Rugby (SGH-a837) [AT&T]	4. Blackberry Curve 8330 [Sprint, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS]
5. Samsung Propel Pro (SGH-i627) [AT&T]	5. Motorola W385 [U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless]
6. Samsung Gravity (SGH-t459) [CellularONE, T-Mobile]	6. T-Mobile Shadow [T-Mobile]
7. T-Mobile Sidekick [T-Mobile]	7. Motorola C290 [Sprint, Kajeet]
8. LG Xenon (GR500) [AT&T]	8. Motorola i335 [Sprint]
9. Motorola Karma QA1 [AT&T]	9. Motorola MOTO VE240 [Cricket, MetroPCS]
10. Sanyo Katana II [Kajeet]	10. Blackberry Bold 9000 [AT&T]

Ask a Geek Girl: Wanting a Basic, Dependable Phone For Dad

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:00:48 -0700

Need help making a major gadget purchase or got a burning techie question? Join our Ask a Geek Girl Group and spill it! hyzenthlay20 recently asked the crew:

I'm trying to help my dad choose a new cell phone. He's a total gadget-head, but admits that he doesn't need/wouldn't use a smartphone. He'd love a reason to have an iPhone, but all he really does is talk on the phone. He needs a phone with a speakerphone, bluetooth, voice dialing, and great call quality. He doesn't need internet, or data, or email . . . And he's loved his RAZR for the past two years. We're looking at the Motorola MOTO, but it gets mixed reviews, although people on their reviews seem to agree that it is similar to the RAZR. He was saddened when we realized that there are no RAZRs available anymore (except for the pay-as-you-go option). He'd like to go with either AT&T or Verizon. Does anyone have any ideas?

To see my suggestions, read more.

Dear hyzenthlay20, first off, it sounds like your dad is lucky to have a savvy consumer (and geek) for a daughter! I recently told another reader with similar needs to check out Verizon's LG VX8360. It offers the bells and whistles of text, picture, video and voice messaging, but also offers exceptional battery life and has a good reputation. Usage time is up to 316 minutes and standby time is up to 641 hours (I am sure that will impress dad!). You might also check out Verizon's Motorola Adventure V750, a basic push-to-talk phone with Bluetooth, camera and some fancy music options. It's the same shape as your dad's beloved RAZR, and has pretty good reviews. I encourage you to take dad to your local AT&T or Verizon store, scope out the most knowledgeable salesperson and express he wants a replacement for his RAZR. It's an incredibly common quest and they will likely have two or three different models that may suit dad's needs. Of course, if he really wants an iPhone, he should treat himself!
Happy shopping,
geeksugar

Do you have a basic cell suggestion for hyzenthlay20? Share it here!

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A WHO Report Says Cell Phone Use Leads to Brain Tumors

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:05:10 -0800

Cell phone use causing cancer - certainly not something we haven't heard before and not something that is going away anytime soon. First we learn that the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones doesn't cause cancer and when I asked you if you were worried about your cell phone increasing your risk of getting cancer, most of you said no.

The latest news? Well it doesn't get more legit than the World Health Organization, who have been working on a ten-year investigation called Interphone to see if there were any correlations between prolonged cell phone use and brain tumors. According to CNN the study will be published by the end of the year, and did reveal that those who had cell phones for 10 years or longer had the strongest risk of tumors.

And another recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology supports the link between cell phone use and tumors as well. The CNN article states:

Studies that looked at people who had used cell phones 10 years or longer tended to find the strongest risk of tumors. Researchers found that cell phone users had a 10 percent to 30 percent higher risk than people who barely, if ever, used this technology.

They also touch on Bluetooth devices, which aren't as harmful, but could cause tumors if worn on your ear all day. I don't know about you, but whenever I know I'm going to have a long cell phone conversation, I make sure to pop in my ear piece (not a Bluetooth) so that my phone isn't glued to my head for a couple of hours.

What do you think? Would you consider changing your cell phone habits after learning about these findings?

C'Elegance = Chic Cell Phone Bling Bling

GeekSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 09:01:14 -0700

Icing out your cell phone with personalized charms and gems has long been an artistic and fashionable outlet in Europe and Asia, but has only recently begun to sneak into American culture. Right now my charm affections lie with C'Elegance, a company started by the Cell Phone Bling Group's gold member Suzanne.

Suzanne started the company after a trip to Hong Kong, where she discovered how trendy technology could be. She returned home, started experimenting with making her own charms and quickly teamed up with her daughters to create C'Elegance.

The result are chic, shiny and beautiful charm sets that combine a signature logo charm, Swarovski Crystal and Semi Precious Stones, and personalized charms. All charms are connected to silk cord via a tiny clip, so they can be easily taken off, rotated or worn together.

The line has been featured in Elle Magazine, appeared on Access Hollywood and was even part of the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.

Prices range from $19 to $250 for jewelry pieces and $2.50 to $12 for charms. Available online at C'Elegance. For a full gallery of charms, read more

View 11 Photos ›

Do you have cool photos of your cell phone bling? Share them with us! You can add your photos to the group by following these instructions:

First of all, join the Cell Phone Bling Group
Click "Create and Share!" on the left hand side
Choose "Blog"
Give your photo a Title
Leave the category as "general"
Change the channel to "technology and gadgets"
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Cell Phone Bling")
Click on the "Add Image" link below the "body" box
A popup window will happen - click on "Browse" to find your image on your computer
Once you have the image chosen, click "Submit"
The popup will show you your image, choose size: "normal" - if you want, you can give it a title (which will show up as a caption)
Click "Insert" and the popup will go away
Your "body" box will now have some text in it. Leave it as is. If you want to add some text before the picture, do it before the code that has appeared.
Click Submit

So join the Cell Phone Bling Group and start posting your great photos! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Hugh Jackman Has a Cell Phone Rant - Did You?

GeekSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:47:32 -0800

Last weekend I decided to go to the movies alone. Just me, a small bag of popcorn, and a movie I've been dying to see. A movie that was then interrupted by a ringing cell phone. Seriously? I haven't been to a movie in the past year (at least!) that hasn't featured a "Please silence your cell phones" PSA before it starts. I was in honest disbelief that the phone rang so loudly, and grew angrier when the phone's owner didn't attempt to silence it. Thirty seconds after the ringing stopped and as I tried to re-engage in the movie: "Ding!" a voice mail notification. The audience groaned audibly.

The experience reminded me of a TMZ video I'd seen a few months ago. It features the actors Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig in the middle of a performance of their play, A Steady Rain as the show is interrupted by a ringing phone. Hugh (understandably!) went off on a rant, while somehow keeping his composure enough to remain in character. (You can also check out his rant in the second half of this episode of PopSugar Rush).

Do you have a cell phone rant of your own? We have all been there, and the best thing to do when you have a rant is to share it. Join the Cell Phone Rant group and give me your best, most annoying tales of the rude cell phone users in your world - your story could be featured on GeekSugar. Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Hello Kitty Privacy Sticker For Your Cell Phone

GeekSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:00:50 -0700

Worried about Jimmy learning you sent a saucy text about him to Tara? Does your boss walk by your desk and hover over your smartphone? If you answered yes to either of those questions, and you lust after Hello Kitty items, you are in luck. Cell phone charm fans Strapa World are selling a "Hello Kitty Cell Phone Mail Peeping Block Mirror Sticker Sheet" set that will protect your cell screen from curious peeping Toms or Tanyas. The sheets are decorated with your choice of Sanrio characters and cost about $8.

To check out additional sticker pics, read more

View 6 Photos ›

Source: Gizmodo

Record Breaking Gadgets: World's Largest Cell Phone

GeekSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 03:00:27 -0800

When I was in college we used to joke about my roommate's giant "in case of emergency" Nokia phone, which was literally larger than our cordless phone. Whenever she would whip it out - often as part of her stand up routine about her mother and grandma - we would joke about it being the world's largest cell phone. I am actually shocked to say, it isn't so!

The world's largest functioning mobile phone is the Maxi Handy from Maxi Mobile, according to the Guinness World Records. It measures 6.72 by 2.72 by 1.47 feet and was installed at the Rotmain Centre in Bayreuth, Germany in 2004 as part of the 'einfach mobil' infotour. read more

The phone is made from wood, polyester and metal and features a colour TFT screen. It is fully functional and can send and receive SMS and MMS messages. I've never wanted to visit Bayreuth, Germany more than I do at this moment.

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Do More With Your Cellphone With These Tricks and Apps

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:05:08 -0700

My phone is attached to my hip, and if I ever happen to lose it (knock on wood), I would be lost! Especially since I use my cell to do so many more than just make calls and send texts!

I use it to remember shopping lists, find out where I'm going, and wake my butt up after a late-night bender. It's amazing what our phones can do these days. Just to show you that the possibilities are endless, I've compiled my favorite uses for my cell phone - when I'm not using it as a phone of course.

Keeping my del.icio.us bookmarks handy is a definite perk to using Mobilicio.us. I can check them out on my phone's web browser!
Since I'm addicted to Netflix, and am constantly updating my queue, the iFlix app for my iPhone became a fast favorite. Log in, update, and browse the top 100 rentals right from your iPhone.

To see other handy ways to use you cell phone, just read more.

After learning that snatching up every new gadget that hits the shelves isn't so kind to my piggy bank, I've incorporated Dime Tracker into my daily life. Not only can you keep track of what you are spending, but Dime Tracker alerts you of your budget to keep you in check.

And speaking of iPhone, you can compare prices for your must-have items with PrixTag. An iPhone app that lets you check online retail prices while you're standing in Best Buy about to fork over your cash, just to make sure you're getting the best deal.
Wasting a lot of time answering repeat wrong-number calls? Check out this easy way to make sure it stops.
Worried about handing out your number to hot guys you meet at the bar, cause you aren't sure if they are good catches? Set up a Grand Central number that allows you to screen the calls before you answer, even on your cell. Plus you can add on as many new numbers as you want to your current phone line, so he never has to have your real phone number. A girls gotta be safe, right?
All that partying over Spring Break left you with a little more extra baggage than you bargained for - and I'm not talking about the souvenirs. Get nutrition facts sent to your cell with Diet.com's on-the-go service. Just text what you're eating to DIET1, wait for the reply text, and decide whether or not you should step away from the Italian Sub.
I love using the white board during meetings, so when I have important info I want to remember from my sketches, I take a pic on my cell and send it to Qipit. It then gets magically transformed into a PDF that I can store online or print out. Oh, and it's free! How convenient.
If you're a takeout sort of gal, you'll get a lot of use out of CityMint. Using your smartphone, you can order takeout from your cell and have it delivered to your door in just 30 minutes. Ahh, technology never smelled so good.

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It's Raining Cell Phones

GeekSugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:00:08 -0800

They do say that art imitates life. Check out this display at the Cell Phone: Art and the Mobile Phone exhibit at the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore. This will be the first US exhibit to showcase an entire collection based around the cell phone. The show features more than 30 international artists and is intended to highlight the impact of cell phones on everyday life.

If you are in or around Baltimore, go check out the display which runs until April 22. Expect to see artistic mash-ups of camera phones, video phones, global positioning systems, bluetooth technology, ring-tone sounds and messaging tech. One last thing, they are telling visitors to take their cell phones so that you can add to the art, which might mean they need more phones to add to their raining cell phone display- be sure to keep that BlackBerry where you can see it!

via cellphone9

Do You Worry About Your Cell Phone's Volume?

GeekSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:00:13 -0700

Health problems and hearing loss from cellphone and iPod use have been heavily debated ever since portable devices became a part of our everyday lives. The thing is, studies showing a correlation between use and hearing loss go back and forth. Sometimes they tell us cell phones cause hearing loss, other times they tell us use right before bed is bad, but otherwise we are OK and occasionally they tell us not to worry.

Scientists have noted that cellphone users who were on the phone for 60 or more minutes per day over a yearlong period showed early signs of hearing loss. According to this month's Shape magazine experts believe the problem comes from cellular receivers, which are louder than regular phone handsets. Do you worry about and pay attention to your cell phone's volume?